ThisWeekinTech:TheCIA-WikiLeaksFiascoTakesCenterStage

The CIA-WikiLeaks drama upended Apple and the rest of the tech world this week. This didn’t stop the Apple rumor mill, however, from churning more details about the company’s 2017 products. Here’s our look back at the last seven days in tech.

Trending March 5-11, 2017

Rumors, Rumors, and WikiLeaks

In what should have been a relatively quiet week in the tech world, this week saw the arrival of 8,761 documents WikiLeaks claims shows that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has developed and obtained zero-day exploits for iOS devices. Even more worrisome, the agency has “lost control” of the majority of this malware.

Soon after, Apple was forced to admit that some of the vulnerabilities mentioned in the unauthenticated documents remained unfixed, though many have been patched. By the end of the week, Cupertino began beefing up its App Store requirements for developers, perhaps as a way to stymie would-be hackers from causing havoc using the alleged malware.

In a bit of good news, WikiLeaks promises to share whatever code it uncovered with tech companies to patch the remaining vulnerabilities.

Where We Are

Apple’s likely to announce its annual springtime event very soon, making this a great time to summarize where things stand for the company’s most important products in 2017.

Since the start of the year, AppAdvice has regularly been updating roundup posts for the 2017 iPhone and iPad. On Friday, we published our roundup for the “Apple Watch Series 3” for the first time.

Based on the ever-growing list of rumors, the following are a few key points about each of the three product lines:

iPad

Up to four new iPad Pros could be announced as early as this month, including updated versions of the 9.7- and 12.9-inch tablets, plus a new one measuring 10.5-inches across. We could also see the first “7.9-inch iPad Pro.”

Details

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro could take up the same amount of room as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro model because of a smaller bezel.

Pricing for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro could start at around $599, which might mean the second-generation 9.7-inch iPad Pro could launch at $499.

iPhone

Apple is almost certainly going to announce at least three new handsets before the end of the year. This could include a new 5.8-inch model, called the “iPhone 8” or “iPhone Edition,” plus updated versions of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.

Looking Ahead

An Announcement?

Will this be the week Apple announces its spring event? Will iOS 10.3 finally launch to the public? Will new details over the CIA-WikiLeaks fiasco surface? These questions and more could be answered during the week ahead. Stay tuned.